Dry shaver



Jan. 23, 1951 A. BARSAM, SR

DRY SHAVER Filed March 20, 1946 lillllllllllllhlTllll INVENTOR. Aer/4w? 5 4/25AM ,.S'Q.

Arroggzx Patented Jan. 23, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DRY SHAVER Arthur Barsam, Sr., Los Angeles, Calif.

Application March 20, 1946, Serial No. 655,839

The present invention relates to electric shavers and particularly to electric shavers embodying a multiplicity of movable cutting members.

Electric shavers are today common and well known. Generically they have the advantageous characteristic of providing a satisfactory shave with complete absence of irritation to sensitive skins coupled with the ability to perform repeatedly over extended periods of time without the necessity of changing blades. Razors of this type are commonly actuated by rotating motors or reciprocating vibrators connected to a suitable source of current. They also may be connected to an outside prime mover through a Bowden wire although in the usual type found on the market this is not the case. In the usual electric shaver the actual shaving or cutting of the hair has been accomplished by the relative movement of two cutting edges one of which is carried by a stationary member slidable over and in direct contact with the surface to be shaved. Inevitably a certain height of the hair is left by such constructions protruding beyond the surface, the distance being dependent upon the thickness of the stationary member.

In the shaver constructed in accordance with the present invention the stationary surfacecontacting member is eliminated and the relatively movable cutting edges extend to the suri face being shaved, no stationary element being interposed between the cutting edges and the hair-bearing surface. Accordingly, a closer shave is possible than can be obtained with the better known type of construction. In the present invention the cutting edges are provided by a multiplicity of slots extending parallel in a plurality of parallel blade members arranged for relative sliding movement. The hairs growing from a surface are pressed flat by the blades passing thereover, extend horizontally into these slots, and are sheared off between the edges of adjacent slots as the shaver is moved thereover and the blades are reciprocated relative to each other at high velocity.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved electric shaver capable of cutting hairs closer to their supporting surface than has been possible in the past.

It is a further object of the invention to pro vide an electric shaver in which the actuated cutting blades move in direct contact with the surface being shaved.

Referring now to the drawings in which a 11 Claims. (Cl. 30-43) preferred embodiment of the invention is disclosed:

Figure l is a partial section through the forward end of a shaver constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a section upon the line 2-2 of Figure 1 showing the mounting of a fixed blade within the removable cutter assembly unit;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, being a section on the same plane but looking in the opposite direction, and shows the mounting of a movable blade within the removable unit;

Figure 4 is a transverse section through the shaving head upon the line 1-4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is an exploded view of the cutter assembly unit showing both fixed and movable cutting blades;

Figure 6 is a partial view looking in the direction of the arrows upon the line 6- of Figure 4 and shows the movable blades at one end of the cutting stroke; and

Figure '7 is a view similar to Figure 6 with the movable cutting blades at the opposite end of their travel.

Referring again to the drawings, a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated and is seen to comprise a one piece body ii, preferably of plastic or metal and formed with a longitudinally extending central chamber i2. Head or casing H comprises the forward end of a complete electric shaver and houses the working parts of the unit driven by an unshown motor positioned within a casing to which body H is adapted to be secured. The shape and design of the motor casing, and the type of actuating motor which may be of any well known type, form no part of the present invention. Chamber :2 opens rearwardly and at its forward end is widened into a rncuth extending completely across body It and having front and rear walls l3 and M, respectively, and a top wall formed by shoulders 56. The open sides of the month are closed by removable end plates ll held in place by screws !3 removably secured in the body ll.

Within the body structure described are the working parts of the shaver which comprise the removable cutter assembly unit indicated generally at 2!, and the actuating means there for, indicated generally at 22. Turning first to the cutter assembly unit, this element is seen to comprise a U-channel cage or housing 21! open at its ends and on its underside. rivets 26 extend between its side walls and support therein a plurality of alternating fixed and movable cutting blades indicated generally by the reference characters 21 and 28, respectively, in Figure 5. Cutter assembly unit 2| is retained within the body II by the cooperation of transverse shoulders 29 on the inner side of the removable end plates ll of body II with recesses 3| in the extremities of its own side walls.

As is shown most clearly in Figure 4, the fixed and movable cutting blades 21 and 28 are alternated within the cage or housing 24 in closely packed relationship which however permits of relative sliding movement. The movable and stationary blades are quite similar but differ in important points which will now be described. Each includes a lower elongated cutting edge 36 provided with regularly spaced parallel slots 31 which extend upwardly therein. T-brackets 38 extend upwardly from the cutting edge 36 of stationary blade 28 and are spaced from edge 36 by the height of the supporting rivets 26 which they partially'encircleas shown in Figure 2., The width and spacing of the T-brackets 38 is such that they abut the outer sides of rivets 26 and also the removable end plates H. The movable cutting blades 27, however, are provided with oppositely directed L-shaped brackets 4|, the upper extensions of which are spaced from its edge 36 by the exact width of the rivets 26, as is shown in Figure 3, but the vertical extensions of which are spaced inwardly therefrom. This fact, together with the fact that the cutt ng edge 36 of blade 2? is of lesser length than the corresponding edge of stationary blade 28 makes possible the longitudinal sliding movement of blades 21 upon the pins 26 as guides. cal extensions of the L-brackets 4| of movable blades 21 a transversely extending U-sectioned channel member 44 is provided. The side extremities of member 44 slidingly abut the inner walls of the unit cage 24 and it faces upwardly toward an elongated slot 48 in the top wall thereof. Member 44 extends through all of the parallel movable blades 2! and relates them for conjoint movement.

The actuating means 22 for the movable cutting blades 21 comprises a lever or toggle arm 48 centrally pivoted upon a shaft 49 extended vertically across channel l2 to seat rotatably within removable bearings 5| screw-threaded into the body H. A pin 52 at the forward end of lever 43 extends downwardly through the slot 46 to seat within the U -sectioned drive element 44 of the unit 2|. The opposite end of lever 48 is provided with an enlarged head 53 having a vertical slot 54 in its outer face. Into this slot extends the eccentric end 56 of a rotatable drive shaft 5's. The rotation of shaft 5? under the actuation of a su table unshown driving motor causes the eccentric 5'5 to pivot the lever 48 about its supporting shaft 49 as it revolves. The pivotal movement of the lever 43 in turn effects the arcuate reciprocatory movement of pin 52, and with it the channel member 44, the component of travel transverse of the cage 24 resulting in the pin merely sliding in the channel. As the movable blades 2'! abut the member 44 its movement is directly transferred to the latter.

The operation of the shaver constructed in accordance with the invention is believed to be clear from the foregoing but will be briefly set forth. motor to effect the rotation of the drive shaft 51. Thereupon lever 48 is reciprocated in the manner described and pin52 moves withan arcuate rotary motion, the component of its displace- Between the vertif The user energizes the unshown electrical.

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ment longitudinally of the unit 2| effecting the shifting of the channel member 44 and the movable blades 21. The shaver is held in the operators hand in such manner that the edges of cutting blades 2'! and 28 rest against the surface to be shaved and the hairs to be cut extend into the slots 37. The high speed rotation of the shaft 5'! effects the reciprocation of the movable blades 2'! at high frequency and as the cutter assembly 2| is drawn over the surface the hairs pass alternately through blades 27 and 28, the relative positions of which shift between the end positions shown in Figures 6 and 7. In the relationship shown in Figure '7 a hair is permitted to pass between the blades while in the position shown in Figure 6, the adjacent edges of the blades have passed each other to shear off the hairs positioned therebetween. The surface contacting area provided by the cutting edges 36 of blades 27 and 28 is sufiiciently great as to slidably support the head so that the flesh from which the hair grows is not. injured while the hair itself is sheared off at a point immediately adjacent that surface. The general roundingof the contacting surface as. shownv in Figure 4 aids in this result, the edge of each blade being slightly rounded.

Following extended use the blades 21 and 28 may tend to become less effective and in that event it becomes desirable to replace the unit 2|. This is accomplished easily by loosening thescrews l8 and removing the end plates Thereupon the oldunit 2| is displaceable downwardly from body H and a new unit inserted in place thereof.

While the particular device herein shown and described in detail is fully capable of attaining the objects and providing the advantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that it is merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiment of my invention, and that I do not mean to limit myself to the. details of construction or design herein shown, other than as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an electric shaver, a shaving head, a plurality of flat parallel adjacent blades mounted in said head and extended therefrom to make contact with a surface to be shaved, each of said blades having a multiplicity of slots opening to its surface-contacting edge, means to reciprocate alternate blades to move the sides of said slots into cutting contact.

2. In an electric shaver, a shaving head, ter assembly unit pos' l and including a plurality of by a cage, said blades ext into surfacening alternate l cage, and means parallel to a cont 3. In an electric a cutter assem-b1; including a U-se fiat blades positioned par edges of saic blades bearing surface adapted to rest 1;; tobe shaved, and 1 or" f operative relationship with the inova. in saidcage.

4. A cutter assembly unit for an electric shaver comprising a U-sectioned cage slotted in its top, a plurality of parallel adjacent blades each having a slotted edge and being positioned in said cage with said edge extended from one side thereof, transverse pins extended across said cage, to support said blades therein, and a small U-sectioned channel carried by alternate blades within said cage and movable therewith, said channel opening to the slot in said cage and adapted to seat an actuating element extended therethrough.

5. A blade for an electric shaver comprising a thin flat metallic element formed with a surfacecontacting edge from one edge of which extend thin supporting brackets in the plane of said element and which is itself provided with a multiplicity of edge slots exposed to the surface to be shaved and the sides of which form cutting edges.

6. In a dry shaver of the class described: a plurality of relatively thin, fiat, blades having slotted lower edges; means to support said blades in a stack with said slotted edges aligned; means in the upper edges of alternate blades in said stack to retain the same for longitudinal reciprocal movement in said supporting means; means in the upper edges of the balance of said blades to immovably retain same in said supporting means, while permitting said motion of said alternate blades; and means to reciprocate said movable blades whereby to effect shearing action between edges of the slots in said movable and immovable blades.

'7. In a dry shaver of the class described: a plurality of flat, stationary blades, each having supporting means extending from an upper edge thereof and a plurality of slots in the lower edge thereof; a plurality of movable blades having means projecting from an upper edge thereof adapted to support said movable blades for longitudinal reciprocal motion, said movable blades having a plurality of slots in the lower edge thereof substantially identical in size and spacing to the slots in said stationary blades; means to support said movable and stationary blades in alternate stacked relationship with said slotted edges aligned; and means to reciprocate said movable blades.

8. In a shearing device having a head and handle-like means to support it, a blade unit in the head having a plurality of laminations with one edge of each lamination adapted to be glided along a surface to be sheared, cutting edges extending from the said one edge inwardly of each lamination to present a larger number of cutting edges along the length of the unit, alternate laminations having a fixed relation with the head and other laminations having means for'their reciprocation, said means to support the head having a motor with eccentric pin means extending from a shaft thereof which pin means passes through all the blades, the reciprocal blades each having an opening. with perimetrical walls that engage the pin means only on two opposed surfaces thereof, and the fixed blades each having an opening that is provided with walls that are well spaced from said pin means.

9. In a shearing device, a body, a plurality of superimposed blades presenting a common gliding surface for contact with a surface to be sheared, alternate blades having fixed relation with a portion of the device and the other blades having means for rapidly reciprocating them, a plurality of cutting edges on said blade at an angle with respect to the gliding surface, and a resilient plate at one side of the blades having means for securing the blades in operative position with respect to the body.

10. In a shearing device having a head and handle-like means to support the head, a blade unit in the head having a plurality of fixed laminations and other laminations connected to a motor means in the handle-like means for reciprocating them snugly against the fixed ones, one edge of all the laminations having a common plane, and cutting edges extending from the common plane inwardly to present a large number of cutting edges along the length of the unit, eccentric pin means extending from a shaft of the motor which passes through all the blades, said other laminations being movable ones and having aligned walls about an opening therethrough which engage the pin means only along opposed sides thereof, and fixed blades having aligned walls about an opening which walls are permanently spaced from all surfaces of the pin means.

11. In a razor device having a handle-shaped body, a blade unit, and means for holding the unit to the body, the unit comprising a lamination of blades superimposed in side-by-side relationship and presenting a common gliding surface, said body housing an electric motor having a shaft with means including an eccentric pin extending therefrom, a central opening through all the blades, alternate blades being fixed blades and having the walls of their openings in perfect alignment and spaced from said pin means in all its positions, the other blades having the walls of its openings in alignment but with two of its opposed walls in contact with opposed surfaces of said pin means and its other walls spaced from said in means.

ARTHUR BARSAM, SR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,096,477 Andis Oct. 19, 1937 2,195,839 Kleinman Apr. 2, 1940 2,229,959 Dalkowitz Jan. 28, 1941 2,253,195 Oster Aug. 19, 1941 2,273,685 Berg Feb. 17, 1942 2,448,219 Hirsch Aug. 31, 1948 

